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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — ground
  3. net — after costs
  4. suit — clothes
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. suit — to fit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pit — a hole
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — a country
  16. suit — in cards
  17. shower — rain
  18. can — to be able to
  19. net — for catching
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. land — to come down
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com